HAER Report

Grading, Paving, and Miscellaneous Work

Undeterred by the delays caused by New York City’s refusal to authorize funding, the BPC made significant progress with grading, paving, and miscellaneous projects by the end of 1922. The commission nearly completed grading the roadbed with the limited amount of funds. Sections of drive between Bronx Park and Mount Vernon were paved, as were portions between Crane Road and Woodland Place. The section between Woodlawn and Yonkers was opened to traffic by the end of 1921. The BPC noted that the unpaved areas would benefit from the "solidifying effect of frost and winter rains." In urban Wakefield, 184' of modern steel post and galvanized wire fence were installed. More than 31,000' of rustic locust guardrail were built in other locations. Miscellaneous work included installation of drains and culverts; stone retaining walls; riverbank riprapping and boulder protection; and changes in existing sewers and drains.(219)

After investigating various pavement options, the BPC decided to pave the parkway drive with a "reasonably heavy" concrete base topped with a bituminous wearing surface. The commission favored the bituminous wearing surface rather than a solid concrete road for a variety of practical and aesthetic reasons. The asphalt wearing surface provided resiliency and concealed the joints in the pavement, providing a smoother riding surface. It also required less maintenance. The commission was concerned that a concrete parkway drive would stand out as a starkly artificial intrusion in the parkway’s naturalistic landscape and believed that the dark asphalt surface would blend in better with its surroundings. The standard concrete base was 5" thick at the sides and 7" thick in the center, with flush curbs on the embankments and 3" curbs laid integral with the road foundation. The finished pavement featured a slight parabolic curve in transverse section, which provided good lateral drainage even on flat grades. The BPC worked with a variety of bituminous wearing surfaces it deemed suitable for the parkway drive including 2" asphalt blocks on a .5" mortar bed with sanded joints and three types of bituminous concrete mix. With the exception of asphalt blocks, the bituminous wearing surface on the BRPR was 2.5" thick. Bids for paving projects included two to three alternatives on types of wearing surfaces. Of the 6 miles of pavement laid by 1922, about half the surface was asphalt block, with the remaining half being bituminous concrete.(220)